HOWELL, Mich.
- The bargaining team of the Howell Education Association turned down an offer
from the district to conduct contract negotiations in public, saying it would
not be productive, according to the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus.

In a notice to Howell Public Schools officials and to media,
the team said that public bargaining would hamper "creative problem solving,"
the Press & Argus reported. Interim Superintendent Lynn Parish had offered public
bargaining after HEA President Jay McDowell told the Press & Argus recently
that taxpayers "deserve some transparency" about the bargaining process.

The teachers union is asking for a 1.5 percent salary
increase, which would cost about $475,000, the Press & Argus reported.
Thirty percent of the increase would be dedicated to a student scholarship
fund. The district is seeking a 2 percent salary "giveback" to generate
$700,000 in savings, plus a freeze on teacher salary step increases and
insurance rates.